“Oh, that’s all right. I didn’t have to go unless I wanted to, and you had just as good a right to have your friends round as I did to have mine. I couldn’t really expect you to take up all my prejudices.”
“There was prejudice all round, I’m afraid,” responded Sam. “I had my share. I thought you were down on Mulcahy just because he was a poor fellow who was pushing his way up, and it made me so mad I couldn’t see anything wrong with him. It wasn’t till after he’d played me a dirty trick with Alsop that my eyes began to open. Then I thought it all over during vacation, and made up my mind that he wasn’t a safe person to fool with.”
“I didn’t hear anything about any trouble with Alsop,” said Duncan, with evident curiosity.
Sam saw that he was committed, and told his tale. Peck listened with deep interest and frequent exclamations. “I don’t think I should have taken that as sweetly as you did,” he said at length. “No fellow has a right to put you in that position. Why didn’t you say: ‘Mr. Alsop, I told you the truth. I don’t smoke,’ and let Mulcahy get out of it as well as he could?”
“I didn’t like to do that,” replied Sam. “It didn’t seem honorable.”
“I don’t know but you’re right,” said Duncan, thoughtfully. “You couldn’t play the mucker because he did. It wouldn’t have done any good, either. He’d have lied you right down.”
“Perhaps so. I couldn’t think of anything to say that wouldn’t make it worse.”
Duncan nodded agreement. “I suppose it would. You’ve got a lot more sense than I thought you had.”
Sam smiled grimly at the dubious compliment.
“Look here,” went on Duncan, taking up a brown-covered book from the table. “You’re a shark in geometry, aren’t you?”